Your little bundle of joy is rushing through the milestones and giving you a new reason to smile every single day. If they are at the point where you have decided to start teaching them how to read, it’s important to make it fun so that they develop a reading culture that will benefit them throughout their life. Have a look at three awesome ways you can make reading fun for your toddler and put them into practice right away!
1. Pick Good Books
To make sure that your little one has fun reading, it’s important to make sure that you’re giving them the right books in the first place. These should be the right books for their age, as skipping to more complex books is bound to make reading seem hard even before they know how to do it. Books with lots of illustrations and concepts that are easy enough for them to grasp will enable them to follow along with the book and enjoy it.
Try different types of books in their age range, gauging which ones they enjoy the most, and get more of these for them. This way, they will look forward to reading every time. Different children have different interests, so keep in mind that they may enjoy reading about different topics from what you expected they would, or from what a different child of yours enjoyed.
2. Create a Space For Reading
To get your child mentally prepared for a reading session, it can help to set up a space that’s specifically for reading. Whenever you bring them to this space, they will know what’s about to happen and switch their mind from whatever else they were doing. You could decorate the space a bit, even adding a tiny library over time if you have the space and budget to do so. This will also teach them organization and proper storage of books and reading materials, skills that will come in very handy in the future. Ensure that the space is clean and well-lit, possibly by a large window that allows natural light during the day and soft lighting that will not cause eye strain while reading at night.
3. Read Aloud and Act the Stories Out
Reading aloud will let your child enjoy the stories more, especially if you use different tones and voices for different characters in the story you’re reading. This adds an extra dimension of fun to the book, and your toddler’s interest will be ignited. Let them read some of the parts as well, reading together to bring the characters out more comprehensively. Whenever relevant, act out the story because there’s nothing your toddler loves more than watching you. When you are invested in the reading, your toddler will also be more likely to share in your enthusiasm.